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Graphics cards / Review roundup

GeForce RTX 4090

24GB desktop GPU; Founders Edition benchmark sample

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition — manufacturer product image
Image: NVIDIAFounders Edition; partner boards vary

Roundup updated 2026-10-03 · 4 assessment sources

What reviewers found

Still faster than the 5080 where it counts

Keep it if you already own one. Its 24GB of memory and stronger native 4K performance make the RTX 5080 a poor upgrade from a 4090. Buying one now is a different decision: a large power draw, bulky coolers and the warranty on a used card all need to justify the asking price.

A roundup of published reviews; we haven’t tested this product. How we work

At a glance

Good for

Native 4K performance and workloads needing more than 16GB VRAM

The catch

Higher measured power and a larger Founders Edition cooler

Compare with GeForce RTX 5090 →

Where to buy

Current prices are available at the retailer.Check price at Amazon Product search

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Strengths and limitations

Pros

  • 24GB VRAM for larger working sets.
  • Higher native frame rates in the cited same-system comparison.

Cons

  • A used or old-stock listing needs careful condition and warranty checks.
  • 450W reference power rating and three-slot Founders Edition footprint.

PERFORMANCE

Benchmarks

9 datasets

4K Ultra · 16-game average

Higher is better · FPS
GeForce RTX 4090
84.4FPS
GeForce RTX 5080
70.1FPS
084.4 FPS
20.4% higher

GeForce RTX 4090 records 20.4% higher average frame rate than GeForce RTX 5080 in this test. This result applies to the selected workload.

Compare these models

Tom’s Hardware · original chart & methodology ↗Published January 29, 2025 · checked 2026-10-03

Founders Edition cards; Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 32GB DDR5-6000 CL30. Same launch-review test system. Native rasterization, 3840 × 2160; geometric mean. No upscaling or generated frames.

Historical launch-review snapshot. Later drivers, games and software may change results.

Test data and methodology
Average / reported measurements — FPS
ProductResultAgainst first measured model
GeForce RTX 409084.40%
GeForce RTX 508070.1-16.9%

Bars start at zero. Percentage differences use the displayed baseline; they are not a combined rating. A geometric mean summarizes a suite, not the frame rate of every game. 1% lows describe the slowest portion of frames and help expose uneven delivery. Missing products are never assigned zero.

In depth

Native frames are the starting point

At 4K Ultra, the cited 16-game geometric means are 84.4 FPS for the 4090 and 70.1 FPS for the 5080. Use the interactive comparison to change resolution and inspect 1% lows.

Tom’s Hardware

Memory capacity can decide the purchase

The 4090 provides 24GB versus 16GB on the 5080. Capacity is not a speed benchmark: check the memory footprint of your model, context length, application and precision.

TechSpot

Power and installation costs matter

In the separate 19-game power suite, the 5080 draws 297W and the 4090 401W. Include case clearance, the power supply, cooling and warranty when evaluating a listing.

Tom’s Hardware

The generation number does not decide the winner

KitGuru’s 5080 launch review also placed the 4090 ahead in both conventional and ray-traced gaming. The newer card’s efficiency gains are useful, but they do not make it a performance upgrade from this one.

KitGuru

Measurements & observations

Published measurements include their original test conditions.

Measurement · 4K native rasterization

84.4 FPS

Tom’s Hardware January 2025 launch review: 16-game geometric mean, 4K Ultra, Founders Edition, no generated frames.

Tom’s Hardware

Measurement · Measured graphics-card power

401 W

Separate 19-game 4K Ultra raster/DXR suite measured with PCAT v2; not a manufacturer rating or whole-system power.

Tom’s Hardware

Specifications

Check the configuration: memory, storage and cooling can vary between models.

GPU and memory

Architecture
NVIDIA Ada Lovelace
Video memory
24 GB
Memory type
GDDR6X
CUDA cores
16,384
Boost clock
2,520 MHz reference
Memory data rate
21 Gbps
Memory bus
384-bit
Memory bandwidth
1,008 GB/s
Reference graphics power
450 W
TechSpot

Board and features

Founders Edition size
304 × 137 × 61 mm
Cooler footprint
3 slots, Founders Edition
Multi Frame Generation
No; standard Frame Generation supported
Benchmark configuration
Founders Edition; partner boards vary
Tom’s Hardware

Still unknown

  • These charts are January 2025 launch-review results, not a 2026 driver retest.
  • No verified modern large-model CUDA or FP4 results in this comparison.
  • Noise, temperatures and dimensions vary by partner board.
  • No live inventory or verified current retail prices.

Watch the reviews

2 videos

Published reviews & comparisons

Tom’s Hardware · Review ·

GeForce RTX 4090 review ↗

The same Founders Edition launch-review testbed includes both cards. We retain separate gaming, ray tracing, AI and power protocols, including the publication’s launch-software caveats. Follow the chart citations to the exact results pages.

Test scope

January 2025 Founders Edition comparison: native gaming, ray tracing, AI and measured power

Publisher group: Future

KitGuru · Review ·

GeForce RTX 4090 review ↗

KitGuru’s launch tests found a small gain over the 4080 Super, improved efficiency, and performance below the 4090. It liked the compact cooler but did not see Multi Frame Generation as sufficient reason to upgrade on its own.

Test scope

January 29, 2025 RTX 5080 Founders Edition review with RTX 4090 comparison; 9800X3D, DDR5-6000 CL30, launch drivers

Publisher group: KitGuru

TechSpot · Review

GeForce RTX 4090 review ↗

A separate 17-game launch suite provides a second perspective on the generational change. Its averages are not pooled with Tom’s Hardware: game selection and settings differ.

Test scope

January 2025 17-game review and generation comparison; separate test suite

Publisher group: TechSpot

GamersNexus · Review

GeForce RTX 4090 review ↗

The 4090 stays ahead in the 4K games examined here. Gains over the 4080 vary considerably by game, making the 5080 a more convincing replacement for older cards. Cooling results apply to the Founders Edition.

Test scope

January 2025 Founders Edition video review and written adaptation; gaming, cooling and efficiency. One review, two formats.

Publisher group: GamersNexus

Alternatives to consider

ModelChoose it forThe catchCompare
GeForce RTX 50902 reviewsA specialist purchase for demanding 4K gaming or workloads that can use 32GB of VRAM.Very high power demand; Expensive upgrade from a 4090Compare →
GeForce RTX 50804 reviewsA new high-end build balancing gaming performance and powerLess VRAM and lower native gaming performance than the RTX 4090Compare →
GeForce RTX 5070 Ti3 reviewsGaming with demanding ray tracingA large price premium can erase its appealCompare →
Radeon RX 9070 XT3 reviewsGaming value when priced below its rivalHeavy ray tracing can favor NvidiaCompare →
GeForce RTX 50703 reviewsA new 1440p PC for games that benefit from DLSS12GB memory ceiling; Small native gain over 4070 SuperCompare →
Radeon RX 90702 reviewsA sensible 16GB alternative to the RTX 5070 when the price is right.Slower than RX 9070 XT; Heavy ray tracing may favor NvidiaCompare →
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB3 reviewsA midrange build using Nvidia gaming featuresA high premium over the 9060 XT can weaken valueCompare →
GeForce RTX 50602 reviewsA price-sensitive 1080p option, with a meaningful 8GB compromise.Only 8GB VRAM; Demanding texture presets can overwhelm memoryCompare →
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